A blueberry is just a sack of tart-sweet juice,
barely contained by a thin, taut orb of skin. It’s nature’s tiniest water
balloon,and like any good water balloon, it wasn’t designed to last. So when we want to bake blueberries into a pie, they’re going to swell through their skins and surrender all their juice, which then needs to be jammed up with sugar and thickeners to sop up all that’s been freed. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that—throw on a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and it’s not not going to get eaten, but there’s another sort of blueberry pie. It uses a lighter touch, managing to preserve fresh blueberries in their natural state and drape them in a sauce—made, of course, from more burst blueberries.
A quarter of your berry haul gets cooked in a
little water until the berries explode (about 3 minutes). As they’re bursting
into a syrupy pulp, you whisk in a slurry of cornstarch and water, plus lemon
and salt. The rest of your berries get folded in next, off the heat, and they
light up—from a low dusty blue to shimmering indigo in seconds. This blueberry
jumble goes into your prebaked pie crust and you’re done—you won’t cook it
again. The only hard part is waiting two hours to eat it.
Serves 6
BASIC FLAKY PIE CRUST
8 tablespoons (115g) unsalted
butter, cold
1⅓ cups plus 4 teaspoons pastry
flour or 1⅓ cups (dip-and-sweep method)
bleached all-purpose flour (185g)
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon nonaluminum baking
powder
2½ to 3½ tablespoons ice
water
1½ teaspoons cider vinegar
(optional)
FRESH BLUEBERRY FILLING
1 tablespoon egg white, lightly
beaten (optional)
4 cups (590g) blueberries, rinsed
and dried
½ liquid cup (120ml) plus 2
tablespoons water, divided
2 tablespoons
cornstarch
½ cup (100g) sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon
juice
Pinch of salt
1½ cups (360ml) whipped cream
(optional)
1 To make the crust, divide the
butter into two parts, about two thirds to one third, or 5 tablespoons and 3
tablespoons. Cut the butter into ¾-inch (2cm) cubes. Wrap each portion of butter
with plastic wrap, then refrigerate the larger amount and freeze the smaller for
at least 30 minutes. Place the flour, salt, and baking powder in a reclosable
gallon-size freezer bag and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
2 Place a mixing bowl in the freezer to chill. Place
the chilled flour mix in another bowl and whisk to combine.
3 Use a pastry cutter or rub the mixture between your
fingers to blend the larger portion of the butter into the flour until it
resembles coarse meal. Spoon the mixture, together with the cold butter from the
freezer, into a reclosable gallon-size freezer bag. Expel any air
from the bag and close it. Use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into flakes.
Place the bag in the freezer for at least 10 minutes, or until the butter is
very firm.
4 Transfer the mixture to the chilled bowl, scraping
the sides of the bag. Set the bag aside. Sprinkle the ice water and vinegar onto
the mixture, tossing it lightly with a rubber spatula. Spoon the loose mixture
back into the plastic bag.
5 Holding both ends of the bag opening with your
fingers, knead the mixture by alternately pressing it, from the outside of the
bag, with the knuckles and heels of your hands until the mixture holds together
in one piece and feels slightly stretchy when pulled.
6 Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, flatten it into a
disc, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight. This dough
can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 2 days; frozen, for up to 3 months.
7 Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If necessary,
allow it to sit for about 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to roll. Using a
pastry cloth and sleeve rubbed with flour or two sheets of plastic wrap lightly
sprinkled with flour, roll the dough ⅛ inch (3mm) thick or less and large enough
to cut a 13-inch (33cm) circle. Use an expandable flan ring or a cardboard
template and a sharp knife as a guide to cut out the circle. Transfer the dough
to the pie pan, fold under the excess, and crimp the border using a fork or your
fingers (or just fold it under). Cover it loosely and refrigerate it for a
minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C)
at least 20 minutes before baking.
8 Line the pastry with parchment paper, pleating it as
necessary so it fits into the pan, and fill it with rice or dried beans. Bake
for 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the rice or beans with the parchment. With a
fork, prick the bottom and sides, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until the crust
is pale golden. Check after 3 minutes and prick any bubbles that may have
formed.
9 Cool the crust on a rack for 3 minutes, so it is no
longer piping hot, then (optionally) brush the bottom and sides with the egg
white; this will help keep the bottom crust from getting soggy.
10 To make the filling, measure
out 1 cup (150g) of the blueberries, choosing the softest ones. Put them in a
saucepan together with ½ cup (120ml) of the water. Cover and bring to a
boil.
11 Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the
cornstarch and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Set it aside.
12 When the water and blueberries have come to a boil,
lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes, until the
blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Stirring constantly,
add the cornstarch mixture, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Simmer for a minute or
until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove it from the heat and
quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries.
13 Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow
to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the
berries will remain very juicy but will not flow out of the crust. Serve with
whipped cream, if desired. This pie can be stored at room temperature for up to
2 days (without the whipped cream).
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